The Eighth Homunculus
by Cassidy S. Waters
Summary: Her name is Sorrow. She was found by Envy in a small village without memory of who she was. Now she is given the task to follow and protect the Elric brothers. Her master's goal? The Philosopher's Stone. Her goal? To become human.
1. Chapter 1

**REVAMPED! Special shout-out to AlanSchezar, who was so kind to find and help me with this piece.**

* * *

The pounding of foot falls echoed throughout the alley. A foot slammed into a puddle, scattering droplets of water.

_"I never wanted this kind of existence."_

Shouting voices called out to each other, vibrations of their tones bouncing off the walls. A single silhouette ran through a darkened alley, panting. It made a sharp turn to the left and kept running down the alley.

_"I never wanted to be a homunculus."_

"I think it went this way!" one bald man hollered, holding a torch over his head. He squinted his eyes at the darkness, snorted, and spat at the cobble stone under his feet.

Another man readjusted the gun in his hand and asked, "You see it?"

The bald man waved his torch in response and sneered darkly. "Thar she blows," he hissed between his teeth. A green flash disappeared behind a wall, and footfalls echoed through the dark, moist walls.

"After it!" the bald man cried before he sprinted after the fleeing shadow.

_"But why am I? What god did I anger to curse me with this fate?"_

The bald man stopped running and held up his hand to stop the rest of the mob. Soft murmuring slipped between them as they waited for the leader to make the order. He sneered again as he spotted a lone figure beating its fists uselessly at a brick wall.

"It's useless, you know," the bald man said mockingly. The figure whirled around, its hands placed against the wall, shaking like a leaf. Shaggy red bangs fell over its forehead, and the rest of its hair was pulled into two long pigtails. It was clad a black, high collar shirt with long wide sleeves and shin low pants with open toe and heel socks. But the most striking of all were the frightened violet eyes with the reptilian slat and a strange tattoo of a dragon eating its tail on its left cheek. The bald man laughed menacingly.

Shaking harder, the thing whimpered in a small voice, "P-please don't hurt me . . ."

The mob had stopped talking to listen to the creature talking. Then, all together they started laughing. The creature sank down onto its seat and quivered.

The bald man stepped forward, still chuckling. "Hurt you? Oh, no, my dear. I'm going to kill you!" He lifted a lethal-looking axe and was about to bring it down when a dark shadow appeared out of nowhere. The shadow landed cat-like on a barrel before leaping up again, kicking out the barrel at the man. The barrel slammed into the man's knees, and he grunted; the grip on the axe weakened.

The shadow then took the time to jerk the axe out of the man's hands and kick him aside. The man fell down, snarling like a dog deprived of its favorite chew toy.

"Why, you—" he began to say before the axe flew right at his head. Several of the mob members shrieked at the sight and fled, not bothering to look back at their fallen leader.

The shivering figure that had been backed up to a wall shrunk back even further, shaking and quivering all the harder. The shadow turned to face it and revealed itself from the shadows. The shadow was androgynous; but after a closer look inspection, it could be defined as male. The teenager's long, spiky, green hair flew up and over a black headband with a red triangle pattern on it. Clad only in a black skort, open toe and heel socks, open finger gloves, and high hem top, the young man walked casually up to the figure. He kneeled down and, after noticing the figure's frightened squirm, smiled gently at it. "There, there, now. There's nothing to be afraid of," the teenager cooed. "I'm your friend. I won't hurt you."

The figure squirmed again. "Wh-who are you?" it whispered hoarsely. "Why did you come here?"

The young man, still smiling, leaned forward a bit. "I am called Envy. And the reason why I came is to help you. Why don't you come out so I can see you better?"

The form shivered, then slowly slipped out of the darkness and into the light. Deciding now was the time to speak, Envy said, "What's your name, little one?"

"Uhh . . ." the girl thought, trying to remember. "I . . . I think . . . I don't know."

"You think you don't know, or you don't know?"

"I don't know."

Envy smiled sweetly, although there was a hint of dark mirth in his reptilian eyes. "Well, I'll be happy to tell you your name. It is Sorrow. You are the homunculus Sorrow."

_"Maybe I had a purpose in this life."_


	2. Chapter 2

**CS: Wow! People want this story updated!**

**Envy: Of course! It's about me.**

**Sorrow: I thought it was about me.**

**Gaomon: Apparently people really love Envy.**

**CS: Yes! Which is why I believe Arakawa (sp) should make a manga series entirely about Envy, called ENVIOUS HOMUNCULUS!**

**Nel: Somebody's gone crazy.**

**Gaomon: Welcome to my world.**

**REVAMPED! Special shout-out to AlanSchezar, who was so kind to find and help me with this piece.**

* * *

_"My purpose was simple."_

The mansion beneath the earth was spacious and magnificent, pearl pillars echoing promises of richness and grandeur. Lost in the past, the old walls, colored pale, retained their ancient beauty. There was no size of chipped paint, rotten wood, or even the haunting scratching of rodents.

Envy stopped at the massive grand staircase in the center of the mansion. He turned to the girl standing next to him, reviewing her poser with a critical eye. He tsked before speaking, "Remember, the master is very strict on appearance. So try not to blow it in the first seconds of meeting her."

The girl bowed her head calmly, "I understand, Envy."

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

"So this is the new homunculus?" an elderly woman, with light green hair bundled up in a bonnet, stated.

The girl immediately bowed, her long ponytails cascading over her shoulders sharply. "My master, Lady Dante. I am Sorrow, your humble and loyal servant."

"Courteous, too," Dante approved, nodding to Envy in satisfaction. "Very good. Envy taught you well."

"My lady," Sorrow said loud enough for Dante to hear, "my lord Envy is an excellent teacher."

"Maybe a little too good," Dante muttered to herself. But when Sorrow looked up with confusion, Dante waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. Come. You and I will dine together."

Sorrow looked at Envy, to which he nodded and gestured, "Go." Sorrow climbed up the stairs, following after her new master.

_"To retrieve the Philosopher's Stone. To regain my humanity. To serve Lady Dante with all my heart, mind, and body. Everything was perfect. Too perfect."_

"So, Sorrow," Dante stated mildly once they were seated. "Tell me a little about yourself."

Sorrow looked down at her plate. Suddenly, an image flashed before her eyes. Dark skies, rain, and a dark, motionless form lying on the ground. A small red gem lay abandoned on the ground. Blinking, Sorrow mumbled softly, "Can a homunculus eat?"

Dante gestured irritably. "Of course, dear. Now eat. Good heavens, what did Envy fill your mind with?"

Sorrow didn't move or eat her food. More images, of pounding feet, lightning flashing across the sky. Hollers were lost to the gale, cries of agony and rage. "Then, if I can eat, how can I not be human?"

Dante looked up, regarding Sorrow curiously. "Hmm?"

"Well," Sorrow began, fiddling her long sleeves with her fingers, "Envy said I am not human, yet I do not understand. How am I not human? I know nothing else."

Dante sighed, perhaps sadly, "Child, let me answer that question with another question. Is an unfinished painting considered a true painting?"

"Umm." To this Sorrow looked down. "I don't know. I guess so."

"Wrong." Dante almost slammed her tea cup down. Sorrow jerked upright, fear bright in her violet eyes. "An unfinished painting is no more of a true painting than an unfinished novel is a true novel. You see, Sorrow, you are the same. You are an unfinished human."

"B-but what makes me an unfinished human?" Sorrow blurted out. She suddenly realized what she stated, and she immediately covered her mouth. Dante only sighed again, shaking her head. "You homunculi are all the same. You try so hopelessly to cling to the idea that you're still human." She looked up at Sorrow with a keen eye. "Are you sure you want to know the truth behind the truth?"

Sorrow gulped. Her hands had stiffened, and her heart (at least she thought it was her heart) throb loudly in her chest. Biting her lower lip, she looked down at her knees.

Dante must have sensed the anxiety Sorrow was giving off, so she stated softly, "Once I tell you this information, all will be clear. However, once I share this, the sheer hatred you will feel will be unbearable." She arched a careful eyebrow. "Do you still want to know?"

Sorrow didn't look up. "Do the others know?"

"All but Gluttony, mostly because he is too foolish TO understand. I have to say, though, that I'm surprised Envy didn't tell you the truth. Normally, after feeding you, he'd tell you how a homunculus is made."

Sorrow squinted her eyes. Her pale hands, having been squeezing her knees, balled into fists as she raised them to her face. People with torches and axes, chasing her, cursing her. Over what? She could not remember. "I always wanted to know why others treated me differently."

Dante smiled for the first time. "Well, then, are you ready?"

Sorrow nodded, determination in her eyes. "Yes, ma'am."

_"But I had nothing to lose. And everything to gain."_


	3. Chapter 3

"_What makes a person a human?" _

Lust glanced at the girl standing before her. "Hmm," she said, "so you're the new recruit."

"Yes," Sorrow stated, her violet eyes emotionless. "I am the homunculus Sorrow. You must be Lust."

Lust's ruby lips curled upward in a crooked way, sneering almost. "You're well informed. I must then assume you know the truth?"

Sorrow nodded, her eyes suddenly taking on a light. "Yes. I know. I know how we were all created. I also know what our master seeks."

"Are you willing to fight for it?"

Sorrow stared, having no emotional expession. "Do I really have much of a choice?"

"_Their way of life?" _

Gluttony tilted his head, looking up at Lust in confusion. "So I can't eat her?" he asked once more. Sorrow winced at the creature's stupidity and thought process. Envy had warned her about his eating habit, so she had chosen the far side of the room, keeping her distance from the fat homunculus.

Lust walked away from the wall she was leaning against and began to move towards the door and Sorrow. "Well, Sorrow, as much as a pleasure it's been to meet you, I really must be going. The stone will not, after all, just land in our laps."

"To achieve anything in this world," Sorrow spoke, in an almost trance-like state, "one must inevitably must take it from someone else." She looked up at the ceiling with a sad look. "That is the truth of this place. The law of Equivalent Exchange."

Lust paused, staring strangely at the other female homunculus. Then, chuckling with a shrug, she asked, "Such a cruel fate we possess, hmm? We homunculi are destined to be forever fallen creatures, cast aside from mankind. That is, unless we do something about it." She cocked her head at Sorrow, smiling devilishly. "Isn't that right, Sorrow?"

Sorrow frowned, lowering her head sharply. "Correct. We are hopelessly lost without the Philosopher's Stone. But with one alchemist's help, we can regain our humanity."

Lust hummed in response, then left the room with Gluttony in tow.

"_The way they're born?" _

Sorrow, alone in the room, looked back up at the ceiling. After Dante revealed the truth, after her past was unveiled, Sorrow could not stop the unrivaled hatred she felt towards human beings. Living in the shadows, hiding from the villagers who hunted her daily, she had been forced to survive not as a girl, but as a beast. She was openly distained and pursued, sometimes even for sport.

But that's not what angered her the most.

The worst part was the thought, the idea, that somewhere out there, there was an alchemist who thought he could become like God, and create life in such an unclean fashion. Sorrow didn't know if she was once human, like Dante suggested, but nor did she care. She was no longer human. A piece to a puzzle unfinished, an abandoned painting, something cast aside, left to pick up after the creator. That's what ticked her off the most. Someone who did not care, someone who had no authority to do such a thing, and someone who fancied himself better than the rest, dared crossed into God's domain and did the unthinkable.

Human transmutation.

And now, left to finish the work, Sorrow had to aid the other homunculi in their quest to obtain the legendary Philosopher's Stone. Her body fueled by red stones, Sorrow vowed to assist in any way she could. But now, standing here, what could she, a newly created homunculus, do among such powerful and imposing beings?

"_How they survive?" _

"Are you Sorrow?" a voice asked from the doorway. Sorrow looked in that direction, seeing an older man with graying hair and a patch over his left eye standing in the doorway, looking at her with an almost kind look.

"I am," she responded in monotone. The man smiled softly. "Good, then perhaps I should introduce myself."

"There is no need," Sorrow interrupted. "You are King Bradley, the fuhrer of Amestris and leader of the state military. But here," and to this her tone grew serious, "you are Pride, a homunculus gifted with the ability to age."

Pride chuckled, "I'm not so sure it should be called a gift, but that's besides the point." His face grew serious as well, and his tone changed. "I assume you know of your purpose to this group?"

"I do."

"Very well." To this Pride narrowed his one eye. "Then I shouldn't need to tell you this twice. We are not sniveling humans who want to comfort and protect each other. We are not weak, and in a blink of an eye we would destroy each other. Trust no one here, and don't bother pretending to be friends with anyone. We all learned from Greed that no one is worthy of our trust and appeal."

Sorrow frowned, nodding. "I understand."

"Good. Well, then, I think I'll be taking my leave." He turned to leave, but paused and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and one more thing. You should practice using your abilities so when we bring you in the field, you won't freeze up and become a liability."

Suddenly, an ice shard shot through the air, but with the speed of tiger, Pride drew out his sword and sliced it in half. Looking back at Sorrow, he noticed her arm was completely covered with ice spikes.

Without making a single facial expression, she stated coldly, "I am well practiced. Just say the word, and I'll kill twenty humans in a heart-beat."

Smiling, Pride said, "Glad to hear that. Well, then, now I must really be going. My body guards are probably wetting themselves as we speak."

"_How they think?" _

Sorrow, having now left the solitary room, wandered the underground mansion, aimlessly walking in her socked feet, not knowing or caring where she ended up.

"And just where are you going, girl?" a chilling voice asked. Without warning, a blade whipped through the air, ready to slice her head clear off. Summoning the ice upon her flesh, Sorrow lifted the frosted-coated arm in retaliation, blocking the blade seconds before it reached her throat.

Envy, noticing her quick reflexes, snickered mischievously. "Not bad, for a newbie." He pulled back, returning his bladed arm back to its normal state, grinning that wild, wolf grin he was so famous for. "You've got potential, so you're not a hopeless case. Definitely different from the little girl I picked up off the streets just a month ago."

Sorrow allowed herself a small smile, showing her gratitude towards his compliment. "I had an excellent teacher to help me. Without you, I never would have become this good."

Envy snuffed, pulling his arms behind his head in a casual manner. "Ha, you better be grateful. You'd be ashes by now if it weren't for me."

Sorrow nodded in agreement. "Of course, Envy. Whatever you say."

Envy arched an eyebrow, eyeing her suspiciously. "Are you mocking me?"

Sorrow immediately saw the danger in his violet eyes and waved her hands out in front of her, showing she met no harm. "I'm not! I merely mean whatever you say goes. You're the boss."

Envy snorted, smirking. "Yeah, just remember that. No one can beat me, so if you want to keep your hide, you better do as I say, got it?" He paused, glancing over at Dante's personal quarters on the bottom floor. "That and the Master. Do that, and you'll be a human in no time."

"Of course, Envy." With that, Envy turned and left, just like all the others.

"_I thought I knew." _

Sorrow paused, thinking. Just like all the others. She watched with a sad look at Envy's back, wondering, pondering . . .

No! She shook her head angrily, her brick colored pigtails whipping around. She mustn't think like that. There was but one goal, and that was to get the Philosopher's Stone. Nothing more.

"_But I didn't."_

Or, she dared to think, was there?

"_I didn't have a clue."_


	4. Chapter 4

_"It was supposed to be a simple task."_

Sorrow turned to Lust, a slightly confused look on her face. "What do you mean?" she asked, not quite understanding the mission given to her.

Lust sighed impatiently, obviously displeased with the new recruit's lack of discernment. "You are to go toEastCity, following the Elric brothers."

"But . . . why? Aren't they just a bunch of children?"

"Children with the capability of creating a Philosopher's Stone."

Sorrow blinked, surprised. Children with the understanding of creating a Philosopher's Stone? Outrageous. But, if what Lust says is true . . .

"So you want me to follow them?" Sorrow asked. Lust nodded. "If that is not too complicated to you?"

"Of course not. Guarding children is child's play. But I must ask." Sorrow narrowed her eyes. "If these boys are so precious, why not ask someone else?"

"I have business elsewhere," Lust responded. "Envy is fixing the mess those boys made in Lior, and you know well enough neither Pride nor Sloth can leave their positions. And," she patted Gluttony's head, "we can't trust this big lug with guarding our precious alchemists."

Gluttony merely sucked on his finger and tilted his head to the side.

Removing her gaze from the disgrace, Sorrow asked, "So I am to watch after the Elric brothers, in the case they create the Philosopher's Stone?"

"More than that," Lust articulated. "You are also to keep them safe. We can't have our precious resources go to waste."

"And if they should fail?"

"Simple." Lust shrugged coolly. "Eliminate them. They are useless if they cannot produce the Stone."

Sorrow bowed. "I understand. I'll head out east right away." She turned to leave, walking towards a window when Lust stopped her. "Oh, and Sorrow?"

"Yes?" She turned, looking at her superior with a blank look.

Lust smiled a dark, cold, devilish grin. "Try not to die out there, hmm? It's tiresome to go looking for replacements. Your finding was just a stroke of luck."

"Understood." With that, Sorrow opened up the window up, leaped onto the still, and jumped. A pair of ice-crystalline wings flared out, and with a mighty flap, she took flight, heading eastward.

_"Guarding children. Baby-sitting. But as easy as it sounded, I soon was running for my money. Literally."_

* * *

Sorrow paused, glancing over her shoulder to where her targets were. They were speaking with some people over some guy named Mauro. Sorrow closed her eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. Following these two boys was harder than she expected. The brothers were always on the move. She had to be careful not to lost sight of them (though in her opinion, it would be rather hard to, as one of the brothers was in a large suit of armor.)

The boys began to move on, obviously working towards something. Sorrow followed, keeping a safe distance from them, wondering what on earth they could be looking for. She knew from the little information she had been given about the boys that they were seeking the Philosopher's Stone. But what did this "Mauro" have anything to do with the Stone? Could he know how to make one? Does he have one in his possession? If so, what should Sorrow do? Steal the Stone under their noses?

Sighing again, Sorrow thought, _I mustn't get my hopes up. By the way Lust described them, they've so far been getting in the way of people's attempts at making the Stone? Would I have to eliminate if they try to do it again? What if this Mauro man is in the process of making one, and the boys interrupt?_

Frustrated, Sorrow face-palmed her forehead. Too many questions. Not enough answers. And it severally ticked her off. She will just have to deal with the situation if it were to arise.

But she hoped it never would.

A gun shot caught her attention. The man standing at the door, his gun-wielding hands shaking, was shouting over something about them not taking him back to 'that place'. Sorrow didn't understand what was going on, but she kept an eye on the gun, not wanting her projects to be killed. Shards of ice began to crawl up her arm and spike out. She will strike if he attempts another move like that.

But she never got a chance to. The younger brother in the large suit of armor, she believed his name was Alphonse, stood in front of his elder brother and calmed down the man. After a rather comical confusion of titles, Sorrow watched the man invite them inside.

Perched on ledge, ice formed around her ear to create cone, allowing the conversation to channel to her, she listened with disinterest the developing plot. But the more she listened, the more she became interested. The man's real name was Dr. Marcoh. He had once worked with the military in creating the Philosopher's Stone. She was surprised by this statement as much as Edward, the older and rather smaller brother. And things continued to get interesting when she heard a slight commotion coming from the house.

She'd turned around to check if things were alright when she saw a small red stone on the ground. Her eyes widened at the sight of it. The Philosopher's Stone? she pondered. After looking more closely at the Stone, she sighed, realizing her error. No, not the stone, she thought. Just some unstable, incomplete version. But still, it intrigued her that such a piece was here, in a place like this. Shouldn't Lust be in charge of this . . ?

However, she did not have time to comprehend the situation before her. She heard footsteps, marching boots, and quickly withdrew, waiting to see who was coming. By the sound of it, there was a set of boots that sounded considerably louder and heavier than the rest. The next thing she noticed was a group of military officers, lead by a rather tall man with a mustache. Silent, she crept closer, her purple, reptilian eyes keeping a careful watch on the Elric brothers.

The doctor was dragged out after some discussion was exchanged, and after a brief moment of hesitation, the older brother ran after the car. Sorrow cursed at her luck. Her mind scrambled to imagine what would happen to her if she lost sight of her prey. Thankfully, fate gave her a second chance.

A loud explosion sounded from the village. Cursing again, Sorrow continued to keep a safe distance without alerting the brothers of her presence. A scene was craved before her as she watched the older brother come to a stop. A dark skinned man with white hair and an unusual scar on his forehead was conversing with the Brigadier, though neither seemed on friendly terms. Suddenly, the man reached out and grabbed hold of Gran's face, and in a shocking display of discord, destroyed the Brigadier's brain from the inside.

Sorrow gasped aloud. _What sort of man is this . . ?_ she pondered, fear gripping her stomach. Her throat became tight as the man began to approach Marcoh, hand preparing to do the same as before. Then her eyes quickly to where Edward stood. Or, used to stand. But he was gone, running towards Marcoh.

Cursing once more, Sorrow leapt from her place along the building she had perched on. She followed the foolish blond, faintly hearing the man with the scar call out Edward's state alchemist's title.

Making a decision now, Sorrow leapt off the roof, her crystalline wings folding out. Swiftly, she landed before the scarred man, who had halted to gaze at the winged being before him. Standing at ready, Envy's 'tutoring' having taken over, Sorrow called out, "You there. You shall not proceed. If you do not wish to die, I recommend you turn around." Remembering an old taunt Envy had often used, she added coldly, "But I might not feel so gracious either way."

The scarred man frowned, and his hand jerked. "Those who stand in justice's way face the wrath of God."

Sorrow glared down at him. "You wish to fight? Then come at me!"

Ice shards formed over her arm, and she fired them out, propelling them towards the scarred man. He dodged some, destructed a few, but one managed to scrap him along the face above the eyes. Silent as death, he touched the wall beside him, and it exploded, sending shards of brick her way. Dodging and ducking quickly, her mentor's voice loud and clear in her mind, she surged forward, one thought overtaking everything else.

_'We don't die. When the odds look bad, go for the kill, and ignore everything else.'_

Her entire arm covered in lethal spikes of burning cold ice, Sorrow swung out, her club-of-an-arm flying towards the man's scarred face. If Envy were here, he'd probably comment on making sure there'd be more scars to this man's face. However, in her tunnel vision, she didn't see the man's hand grabbing her face. Too late to pull back, she swung, slicing through the man's clothing and barely scratching his Adam's apple. Her face, however, was not as lucky, as she felt herself die during the impact of her brain exploding from the inside out.

Laying the ground, she cursed her ill-fate. Thankfully she had Red Stones to spare, but the mortal wound took a few seconds she didn't desire to waste to heal. Once she recovered, she stood up, looking around.

She cursed again. The man had left, and now she must not only found the two brothers, but she must also stop the killer.

_Today is just not my day_, she thought sullenly. Without a moment's hesitation, she ran, her wings folding out, and she took to the sky.

If there was some kind of God out there, she silently thanked it when she saw an explosion just underneath her. _Found you_, she thought mildly.

* * *

**CS: Okay, I'm done with chapter . . .**

**Gaomon: 4**

**Envy: You can't count, can you?**

**CS: Idiot! I suck at math! Shut it!**

**Dorumon: She's sensitive on the issue.**

**Nel: Disclaimer: CS does not own FMA. If she did, Envy would be alive and Dr. Marcoh would be followed by a little girl who says Polo whenever someone says his name.**

**Gaomon: She only owns Sorrow, though her appearance was taken from a Naruto OC we saw and suddenly Sorrow came alive.**

**Dorumon: Those are the best kind of OCs, the ones who take on a life of their own.**

**Envy: They're not zombies, are they? I really hate zombies. I mean, reeeeealllly hate them.**

**CS: Anyone count the number of times Sorrow either sighed? What about cursed? First one to get one of them right gets a one-shot written for them staring their favorite pairing (not yaoi/yuri). Both gets two one-shots.**

**Envy: I thought the grand prize would be me being paired with one of their goofy OCs?**

**CS: *points to corner* Envy, dunce spot, now. *Envy goes to dunce spot* And yes, that is basically the grand prize, but I also wanted to expand to canon or other OCxcanon shots. You know, just in case.**

**Gaomon: Though the majority of people reading this fanfic are probably female and in love with the psychopath.**

**Envy: *from corner* I can hear that!**

**Nel: We should stop before things get ugly.**

**Dorumon: Yes, we will.**


	5. Chapter 5

**CS: Hiyah, folks! I'm back!**

**Gaomon: With more The Eighth Homunculus.**

**Dorumon: Finally, you updated this thing.**

**Firion: You were on a Dissidia role for a while.**

**Nel: Now all you have to do is catch up on your other two stories. And all those one-shots you promised. And don't forget your finals.**

**CS: I think I'm going to play dead now.**

**Envy: CS owns nothing but her OC Sorrow. Peace out!**

* * *

_"Guarding the Elric brothers was the beginning of everything."_

Sorrow glided towards the sight of the explosion, though there was no smoke to guide her, her eyes scanning all surroundings. Suddenly, a movement caught her field of vision. The scarred man was once more in combat, this time with a large, muscular man. Satisfied he would be occupied for the moment, Sorrow once more focused on the mission at hand: watching over the Elric brothers.

_Except they fled, and now I must track them down_, she thought. Mentally beating herself for not keeping better tabs on her prey, she continued to fly over the village, searching for the familiar suit of armor and a small boy with a red coat on.

Sorrow finally finds Ed and Al, running through a forest. There was another man with them, yet it did not matter who the third party's identity was, even though she suspected it was that Marcoh. Her mission was to simply keep an eye on the boys; nothing else was of her concern. She faintly remembered Envy's advice to her just days earlier when she had asked one too many questions . . .

* * *

Sorrow cried out as the knife-like arm jabbed into her shoulder, pinning her to the wall. Her opponent was cruel, heartless to the core. He cared not for her cries of agony and grunts of pain. In fact, he took delight in them, smirking widely as she whimpered when he slowly turned his wrist.

Leaning forward, he whispered, "You'd better keep your mouth in check, little one. Otherwise, someone's gonna slice it clean off." He chuckled darkly as her purple eyes widened in fear. Sorrow swallowed a huge lump that had developed in her throat down after her opponent released her slowly, not sparing her any pain.

Envy smirked as she grasped her wound, watching it heal. "If I didn't teach you the hard way, little one, you would never get it."

"I will try to understand faster, Envy," Sorrow responded, rolling her shoulder to make sure it still functioned properly.

"One other thing," Envy warned, taking a few steps closer. Sorrow barely had enough time to dodge Envy's arm-turned-blade. The shape-shifting homunculus closed the space between the two, just a hair length apart from her face as he hissed, "Always be on guard. Never allow anything to get close." With that, he removed himself from her and turned to walk away.

Sorrow dared to ask. "Or?"

Envy didn't turn around, but he did pause and hesitate, even for a fraction of a second. "Or you'll crash and burn, never to be whole again." Then he was gone.

_"I had such high hopes that they would lead me to regain my humanity back."_

* * *

She carved all of Envy's words into her mind, encaging them in a mental steel trap. But his last piece of advice had shaken her a bit. What could have Envy possibly meant by that?

Shaking her head, she mentally kicked herself. _Focus. . ._ she thought, forcing herself to concentrate. _Do not lose sight of the task at hand. Questions at this point are meaningless._ She smiled fondly, having remembered Envy's exact wording this time.

As she followed the threesome in the air, the scenery changed from the small woody lawn to the gray backdrop of the town. Sailing lower to avoid being spotted, Sorrow fluttered briefly ahead of the brothers to land a building they appeared to be heading for. It was raining, water droplets cascading down from the dark sky above. Sorrow, however, didn't feel the drops as they touched her head and dripped down her bangs; she had a mission. She must concentrate.

Her ice wings folded behind her, she made another ice cone with her hand and listened.

"What do we do now, brother?"

That hollow, child-like voice came from the large suit of armor, the younger brother, Alphonse Elric. He was addressing his older brother, the shorter one, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Sorrow noticed that the older boy's red jacket was torn by the sleeve, fully revealing his automail arm. Edward crossed his arms, frowned at the ground. "Whatever it is, I really want to avoid that guy with the sunglasses."

_I would prefer that, too,_ Sorrow thought. _That man was more a nuisance than necessary_.

Suddenly, a black dog began to bark. The boys turned to see armored cars driving in their direction, near the shop. Edward grasped the older man's arm. "Dr. Marcoh, duck!" The man, Marcoh, obviously didn't need to be told twice, ducking along with Alphonse from the sight of the trucks. Edward held up his right automail arm, hiding it from view. Once the trucks had left, Edward looked at the waitress, who had only paused to look at the pausing military force. "Excuse me, but do you have a backdoor we can use?"

Sorrow picked herself and searched for the backdoor after hearing the clerk's answer. Once catching sight of the boy alchemist, his armored brother and their troublesome companion, Sorrow floated above them, keeping them without hearing distance as she used the ice-cone trick once more.

_"Little did I know that they would do much more than that."_

The threesome walked down the alley, drenched in the cold rain. Alphonse's metal feet clanked as he walked. "We're not going back to Eastern Command Center?"

Edward shook his head. "Since Brigadier General Gran is here, that means there are reasons that the colonel can't protect Marcoh."

_Brigadier General Gran_, Sorrow repeated. _He must have been the man whose mind was destroyed._

Alphonse looked ahead, his voice laced with worry. "That's right. There's even people from Central—"

"What? People from Central?" Marcoh's eyes had widened and his voice reached a pitch of anxiety.

Edward looked over his shoulder and gave a half-witted smile. "The Fuhrer and his whole entourage."

Marcoh nearly fell on his feet. "To catch me?"

Alphonse shook his hand. "No, that's not it at all."

Some children playing caught their attention, and everyone paused to watch them scamper and laugh in the cold rain. Marcoh sighed. "I've had it."

Edward looked at the doctor curiously. Marcoh continued, not meeting the alchemist's gaze. "I don't care if that man kills me. . ." He looked skyward with a sad smile. "He has every right to do so."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, confused.

Marcoh turned to face him, frowning deeply. "He is an Ishbalan."

Edward blinked. "If he's of the Ishbalan people, then why do you have to be killed by him?"

"The Ishbalans started a war of independence, didn't they?" Alphonse added. "A lot of them died, but the military lost a lot, too."

Marcoh looked down. Edward gave his own gaze at the cobblestone, wincing, "If everyone who had lost in a war swore vengeance, there'd be no end to the violence."

"That was no war," Marcoh stated coldly. Edward looked up, curious.

Marcoh's eyes narrowed. "It was a massacre."

_"It's strange, how I ignored their humanly interactions. Perhaps I would have learned something sooner."_

By then, Sorrow had stopped fully analyzing their words. She faintly registered Marcoh talking about some war that happened in the east, but nothing of great interest. She didn't care for this Ishbalan massacre or whatever it was; it was unrelated to her mission. The only thing she was currently concerned with was the brothers' safety, and that need was already met at the moment.

Then, however, gears changed when he starting talking about alchemic agents. She leaned forward a bit, listening more intensely as Marcoh described to the Elric brothers of the devastating power each gave its alchemist.

Sorrow felt a ping of hunger in her heartless chest. _Could such agents complete a homunculus?_ she pondered. _If that were the case, then we don't we steal the incomplete Stones from Marcoh?_

As Sorrow pondered all this complicaty, she stopped listening to Marcoh's words. She was only snapped out of her daze when she heard Edward yell, "No!"

Sorrow nearly fell off her perch. The outcry had been so sudden, so loud for her cone-encased ear that she had to remove the cone and cup a hand over her ringing ear. However, even with one ear still functioning, she did manage to hear the rest of Edward's words; "All you'd need to do is live . . . Live, live and find happiness. . ."

_Live?_ Sorrow thought. _Live and find happiness? How naïve can this boy be? No wonder the Master wants me to keep on eye on these boys. What with their naivity and knack for attracting trouble, they couldn't walk three steps without falling and getting themselves killed._

_"I thought they were naïve."_

Sorrow decided to stop listening to the conversations. All they were doing was throwing her off track. She needed to concentrate on the task at hand, and that was keeping on eye on the troublesome boys.

Then, something happened. Marcoh's face suddenly changed into horror, and he fled. Edward and Alphonse called out to him, before proceeding to ran after him. Sorrow sighed. Here we go again, she thought. Spreading her ice wings, she glided after the group.

As she glided, Sorrow heard yet another explosion. _If this keeps up, this whole town will far apart_. She frowned and kept her eyes forward. Her mission was the Elric brothers. Nothing else.

However, the explosion soon became the least of her worries. The very person she hoped to avoid came springing out of nowhere. Yes, the man with the scar on his face. The one who she had thought would be preoccupied and wished to not encounter again. Apparently whatever god was in control had other arrangements.

Sorrow will not allow the Elric brothers to perish.

Before the scarred man could make a move, Sorrow send a spiraling ice shard directly at him. He noticed it, however, and ducked before it made contact, swishing lightly over his white hair and pinning the stone wall behind him.

He looked up at Sorrow, who was standing on top of the building, her purple eyes glaring down into his fiery red ones.

"As I told you before," Sorrow growled slowly, "You are not allowed to proceed. These boys are under my watch, and no one is permitted to harm them."

_"But truly, it was I who was naïve."_


	6. Chapter 6

**CS: Wow, guys! You are really supportive of this story! 26 reviews, and it's only 5 chapters long! I just feel so honored to have reviewers like you!**

**Gaomon: So in this chapter, we'd like to thank all the following reviews, and even respond to some.**

**Dorumon: Do note that the more you say in a review, the more we'll comment and reflect on it. First, we'd like to thank Mangaloner, Cursed Bunny, and Eclipsewings, for thanking us for keeping Envy in character. We're working hard to making sure Envy stays in character, so unfortunately, there isn't much fluff in this story.**

**Envy: Well, I'm not a fluffy person. You got a problem with that?**

**CS: Yes! *takes out a tazer* Sit and bark for me, dogboy!**

**Firion: Well, that was. . .**

**Gaomon: Predictable.**

**Firion: Out of character was what I was going to say . . .**

**Dorumon: *cough* Anywhooo, we'd also like to thank KingofHeartless'09, I'm Plotting Something Evil, Megan May, XxXEnvyxXx, MoonlitNite, dance-love-happiness, yyh-ygo-fma, Arcanite, unnamed reviewers, Lorelei Rinoa, and Moonlight Pheonix. Your reviews, no matter the context or length, really inspires us to write more! Keep 'em coming!**

**Nel: Now for our replies to our reviewers. We've selected the ones that we can comment to.**

_**Megan May – This truly has loads of potential! I love it, please update soon!**_

**CS: Thanks, fellow Envy-lover. I actually have a lot planned for this fanfic, ending included. It's still ways-away, but I can't wait to close the fanfic with a satisfaction that I gave my viewers what they were hoping for.**

_**Cursed Bunny - your author's note: Yes, yes, I definitely agree that people love Envy. Envy… is awesome ;D So far, your description, diction, and grammar are all really good~ I don't quite know where you're going with this so far xD I'm sorry, I laughed when Sorrow was addressing Dante so formally. Lololol "my lord Envy". I don't know if that's supposed to be funny, but I certainly find it so. Nice chapter~**_

**CS: Of course! Envy is the whole reason why FMA is popular. He went from the 9th most favorite character in the beginning, to the 6th, and he was only beaten by the five main characters, so his epicness is obvious. XD Also, thanks for the compliment. It's hard for me to sit down and reread my stuff, but I try whenever I can. As for the whole formal thing, I just thought I'd have a little fun XP I couldn't help myself. And I'm glad you found it funny, too! I hope to continue to let this story be funny on occasion.**

_**Yay, a longer chapter xD I forgot to state this in my last review, but I like your use of italics to portray things ;D The statements in italics make your chapters a lot more interesting~ I also like the comparison to the unfinished painting/novel ;3 Try to make the scenes flow a bit smoother! The transitions between Pride's appearance and Envy's appearance were a bit too sudden in my opinion.**_

**CS: Thanks! This is a new technique I'm using for this story only. I'm considering using it in others, but I will definitely continue using this format for this story. It helps direct the story and give the reader an inside look at Sorrow's mind-set. As you continue to read, you'll start noticing a change in the italics, signaling her mood, thinking process, etc. As for the painting/novel thing, I'm glad you like it. I was thinking about that piece for a good five minutes before I came up with the metaphor, and even then, I wasn't sure it was good enough. Hearing you say that, though, put my mind at ease. ^-^ And thanks for pointing that out! I hope I improved since then, but if not, please let me know! I like constructive criticism! It make me happy! **

_**Typo: you spelled severely as severally. The way you have Sorrow use the ice to help her hear their conversation is quite creative xD I like that ;3 Instead of summarizing what happens in the scene, you should "zoom in" on it more I think. Use dialogue to help you~ You do well in describing Sorrow's thoughts xD**_

**CS: 0-0 ARGH! Curse you, Word! You fail me again! LOL, thanks for pointing that out. I'll have to fix it. Gush, now I feel silly. -_-' :3 I'm glad you like Sorrow's powers. She originally had the powers of paper, but I thought they didn't work well for her personality. She can come off as a pretty cold person at times, and I wanted to reflect that with her powers, like with everyone's abilities. As for summarizing, did I get THAT right yet? I hope so. I have a long way to go, I know. But all your reviews help!**

_**I like how you keep Envy in character, and Sorrow's thoughts are interesting ;) She seems to be very one-track minded, to be able to focus so well on her mission without feeling any curiosity for anything else xD I wonder what will cause her to realize that she is the one who is naïve ;D Ah, by the way, there were a few times where you accidentally switched out of past tense.**_

**CS: I'm glad to get Envy right. My fangirl side is trying every day to make him fluffy, but I have to wrestle her to the ground (with Sorrow's help, of course). And yes, Sorrow has very interesting thoughts. Just wait for the next chapters. Even without the italics, there'll be some interesting moments for her. :3 That's a secret, but you'll learn it soon enough. Just keep reading and you'll find out. -_-' Argh, me and my impatience. I really need to get a grip on myself. Gaomon, write a note to myself on remembering to read over my stuff!**

**Gaomon: Noted.**

_**Eclipsewings – Well, to be honest I don't believe sorrow can be a sin, but other then that great beginning.**_

**CS: Well, Sorrow's name actually comes from the idea of the old sins, where Sorrow was actually a 'cousin' more or less to apathy and sloth. Plus, I guess you could consider it bad if you constantly look at the negative and never see the better side to things, but that's just my reasoning. Of course, you'll be seeing that more in later chapters ;) But thanks for pointing that out! I love opinions! That why I'm American XD**

_**I agree, there should be a manga series based entirely on Envy :)**_

**CS: Of course! XD And if FMA's creator won't do it, I'll happily ask for permission to do it myself! I'm saving up as we speak . . . err, type.**

_**Good idea giving Sorrow the ability to control ice. It suits her. Thanks for keeping Envy in perfect character, you have no idea how much I hate it when authors completely switch his personality up to make him all sweet and mushy.**_

**CS: Yup! ^-^ I couldn't agree more! And yes, I like hearing that! Nothing brings me more pleasure than to be complimented on keeping people IC!**

_**I never thought she could use her ice to make a hearing cone or whatever they're called. Very creative. Please update soon.**_

**CS: Yeah, that's what happens when you're high on chocolate and a 'slight' (I quote because it's what my childhood shrink said) case of ADD. I pull this kind of stunt all the time. Glad you liked it ^-^**

_**Anonymous reviewer (seriously it was blank) – Wow, I didn't think she would have to fight Scar again, and so had her mind make sure the Elric brothers were safe. This chapter was wonderful please update.**_

**CS: Oh, yeah. This won't be the last time, either. She's really gonna have to keep up with the baddies (and goodies) if she's gonna survive! LMAO And that ain't the only curve ball I'm throwing at her. As Cha's Aegis said, writing good fanfiction is basically chasing the character up a tree, throwing rocks at them, and then getting them down.**

_**Mangaloner – Ah, wonderful just beware of your spelling and what time tense you're using other than that, great job of keeping Envy his self. Please update soon :3 and keep up the great work ;)**_

**CS: I'm really considering asking for a Beta right now. Any volunteers? I'm open for volunteers. Even beta-readers like myself need help, and I don't mean psychologically. And yes, yes, my goal is to keep Envy in character. Even when I show (in future chapters) a slight romantic side to him, he's in character. I'll keep up with the good work, don't worry!**

**Nel: To everyone else who didn't get their review posted, we're basically replying by A) updating now, and B) making the chapter longer, not including this A/N.**

**Dorumon: We'd actually like to point out the reason why this story is so well done is we look over the fanfic, Mary Mary? Not Quite! This lovely guide gives you tips on how to make your Original Characters believable, lovable, and not Mary-Sueish.**

**Envy: Whatever! Now on to my epicness!**

* * *

"As I told you before, you are not allowed to proceed. These boys are under my watch, and no one is permitted to harm them."

Sorrow stood atop the building, purple eyes slanted, a large claw-shaped ice shard formed over her hand, ready to strike. Her sudden appearance had certainly shaken the group, although the scarred assailant was quick to recover.

He took a slight step back and looked up at her, his red eyes glaring into hers. "You . . . Didn't I kill you?"

Sorrow bore no facial expression as she calmly stated, "Death is merely an illusion your kind cling to in order to attempt to grasp reality."

The scarred man continued to stare up at her. "Either way, it does not matter. Those who stand in my way will face justice!" He struck down, blasting the ground with alchemic energy that shook the entire foundation of the earth and the building Sorrow was perched on.

Sorrow leaped off the crumbling building. Wings having already dissipated, she used her own legs to land safely to another building. Turning, she swung out her arm, releasing five ice claws from her hand. The scarred man somersaulted backward, dodging the icicles.

"Brother, who is that?" Sorrow barely heard Alphonse ask his older brother. Edward responded, "I don't know, but I think she's helping us!"

_Darn right I'm helping you_, Sorrow thought with a hint of frustration. _But now I've also lost my cover. I'm in the middle of the open, with the Elric brothers seeing exactly what I am. _She glanced over at them. _Better take this fight elsewhere. Any more demonstration of my power could only lead to further consequences._

Leaping again, Sorrow leapt off the building and spiraled downward, towards the scarred man. At first the man was taken aback by her frontal assault, but stayed his ground and lifted up his arm. No doubt he would try the same thing again. But Sorrow had already learned from her first confrontation with him, and she was ready.

As his arm came sailing towards her, Sorrow was vaguely aware of her mentor swinging his arm the exact same way. As if by instinct alone, she ducked down, curling up, and rolled underneath his arm towards his feet. While his arm was still swinging out, the ice-wielding homunculus shot out her arm and snatched his leg.

The scarred man jerked in surprise. But it was too late to do anything, as ice quickly began to encase the man's leg, crawling up to his waist. He grunted angrily, and red lightning began to spark from his arm once more.

Sorrow leapt aside just in time as he swung once more out. In a single swipe, he shattered the ice, freeing himself from the restraints. Regarding her coldly, he demanded, "What kind of alchemy was that?"

_Fool, it isn't alchemy_, she thought, but kept that thought to herself. It was best to keep as much information to herself. No use in conversing with the enemy.

Her ice arm tingled. Time to end this show. Lifting her arm up, the ice expanded until it formed an umbrella of white rime, the rain began to peddle down on the slick surface. At first, nothing happened. But then, as each drop touched its surface, an icy vapor slowly began to rise. With more rain falling, the vapor continued to rise and grow, creating a misty, fog-like appearance.

"Brother!" she faintly heard Alphonse holler behind her. A little to her left she heard Edward call back, "Al, just stay where you are!" Narrowing her eyes, she frowned with satisfaction. _Good, they can no longer see._

Squeezing her fist, the dry ice shattered, splintering around her. With the fog continuing to form, Sorrow charged forward, colliding right into the scarred man. Grabbing his arm, to which he screamed in pain, she lifted him up, sprouted ice wings, and soared high above the fog she had created.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan until she caught a flash of red in the corner of her eye. She barely had time to register the man's lightning encased hand grabbing her own arm. Both cried out in pain as the man's anti-alchemic arm disrupted the flow of red stones in her ice-encased arm, causing the ice to shatter like glass.

But it wasn't only her arm that was flaring up in pain. Every part of her was screaming, and she suddenly realized they were falling fast. Her ice wings had splintered as well, and without support of her red stones to regenerate them, the situation looked graver as the concrete approached at rapid speed.

She had no choice. Releasing the scarred man, and the cursed anti-alchemic arm, she felt her powers returning, free from the disruptive power the man held. Wings spread anew, she flew up, barely missing the cobblestones below. She was so close that her somewhat shapely chest brushed against the cold rocks.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she pushed upward, soaring highly until she was high enough to maneuver easily. Taking a shallow dive, she once more attempted to find the scarred man, this time without contact.

But it seemed the man was gone. And so were the Elrics. Groaning in frustration, Sorrow thought, I'm really beginning to understand why Lust wanted me to do this. Keeping an eye on those brothers is like watching a hummingbird. However, despite the image of the hummingbird quickly turned into two hummingbirds, one very small with a red coat and metal wing, and the other much larger with armor, she moved forward, gliding over the building, searching for the Elric brothers.

Once again, she spotted them. It truly wasn't that hard spotting the Elrics, what with the suit of armor and bright, red coat, but it bothered Sorrow that these boys couldn't stay still for their own good.

And there was grimmer news. The scarred man was chasing them, causing walls and cobblestones to explode upon contact. If Sorrow didn't stop him before he caught up to the Elrics, not only would she have failed her mission, but she'd have to compromise her identity to the Elrics.

Diving down, she chased after the scarred man, attempting to catch up to him. The rain continued to pour down, and it was becoming more difficult for her to stay afloat. Not that it mattered; any closer with her wings, and the Elrics would find a startling surprise. Master Dante specifically said not to compromise her identity, and so Sorrow ditched the wings and continued on foot. It felt much slower, but weeks of running with Envy had helped her increase her speed to inhuman proportions.

The scarred man was still ahead her by at least three car lengths. Sorrow quickly tried to shorten the length, but it seemed meaningless when she heard Alphonse scream and Edward call his brother's name. The scarred man had caused one of the walls to fall, sending the younger brother tumbling down. The scarred man waiting no more and slapped the boy's armored body, shattering the metal into pieces.

What Sorrow saw next shocked her. Inside the armor, there was no human body inside. Sorrow knew that the Elric brothers were different, as Lust had told her, but she had no idea . . .

How could this boy be human without a body?

Her first mistake was standing still. The scarred man had seen her behind him, and he began to whirl, his arm slapping against another wall.

Her second mistake was not reacting. The wall tumbled onto her, killing her a second time today.

Her third mistake was not attempting to resist. Though she was never good at that, she was taught to fight the humans by any means necessary. Envy had never been afraid to flaunt his powers, and he had given her the same advice.

Her final mistake was becoming lost in her mind, trapped by whirling and confusing thoughts, her fortitude shattered.

Alphonse was like an incomplete painting. He had no body, no mind, nothing but a soul. At first Sorrow didn't believe Lust's description, and pushed against, but now she could no longer run from the idea. But did this mean Alphonse was not human? If so, why could he interact with people so naturally? Perhaps because he was born a human, and thus lived a human life for a certain time period? Did that mean, if Sorrow remembered her human past, she could feel the familiarity of humanity and mimic it?

* * *

"_Humans. Just what were they?"_

Sorrow again found herself at the butt end of Envy's aggression. Held by her throat, she began to worry her punishment for not answering the question correctly he had posed earlier to be more severe than before.

Smirking at her fear, Envy leaned forward, his face close to hers. "Tell me, little Sorrow, do you enjoy my punishments? You seem to be getting a lot of them lately."

Sorrow tried to gulp, but found she couldn't. She knew the answer she had given him was far from satisfactory, and yet she could not help but pose the answer to his question.

"_Who is the master here?"_

"_Lady Dante, of course. She provides for us, she cares for us—" _Her answer had then been cut off by his hand grabbing her throat, and now she was pinned against the wall, her airways not blocked off completely, but still made it very uncomfortable to breathe properly.

Staring fearfully into his eyes, she merely flinched when Envy leaned forward to offer his little taunt. When he received no answer, he snorted, "Lady Dante provides for us? She _cares_ for us? Just who are you describing, little whelp?"

Sorrow whimpered pathetically, tearing her gaze away and slamming her eyes shut. She felt his breathe on her cheek, her Ouroborous tattoo tingling with every puff of air.

She knew not to challenge Envy in this state. She knew it was best to roll over and play dead, show her underbelly and pray to any god out there that he might show some mercy. Sometimes her prayers were answered. Other times, they went unheeded.

As she waited for yet another answer, she seemed to have fallen under someone's favor, because Envy's grip slowly relaxed. She did not open her eyes and turn to him until he completely released, to which, she gasped out, sucking in as much air as she could, trying to inflate her nearly crushed windpipe. She must have gulped in too much air, because she suddenly found herself coughing heavily.

Hearing Envy grunt from somewhere besides her, she felt a hand slap her back a few times, aiding in her attempt to regain control of her breathing. Once her lungs had settled down and her airways were satisfied, she looked up to see Envy was crouching down next her, watching with a mix of mild curiosity and annoyance.

She had rarely seen this facial expression other than when it involved herself. Sorrow watched Envy in turn until the elder homunculus grunted again and stood up. "I just don't understand you," he said, shaking his head, his green hair wiping around him. "No matter how many times I cut you, throw you into a wall, or make you bleed, you always come running back to me."

"_I did not understand what Envy meant."_

Sorrow merely tilted her head, blinking. Envy glanced at her and snorted, throwing his arms behind him and laced his fingers together on the back of his head. "Anyway, that's the wrong answer," he said, beginning to walk away. "The master is yourself. Only you can tell yourself to do what you want to do. You don't have to listen to Dante. But you have to listen to yourself."

"Is that why we are named after sins?"

Envy paused, glancing over his shoulder. Sorrow still had her head cocked to one side, a look of honest puzzlement on her face. Sighing, he dropped his arms to his side and walked up to Sorrow. Crouching on the balls of his feet, he suddenly smirked and poked her forehead. "Wouldn't you like to know, little one?" Still smirking, he placed each hand on a knee while he leaned forward a bit. "Tell you what. Survive your next mission, and I might just tell you why." He then got up and started walking away again.

"_I knew asking meant sudden death, but I had to know."_

"Envy, wait."

Envy stopped again, looking over his shoulder with irritation. "Do you want me to crave your face into a wall? What do you want now?"

Sorrow did not shrink back from the threat, though she knew well he meant it. "I was just wondering . . ."

Envy rolled his eyes. "You always wonder . . ."

"What makes a human?"

Envy blinked in surprise, then glanced at Sorrow again. Crossing his arms over his chest, he groaned. "Don't you ever stop asking questions?"

Sorrow gave an apologetic look. "My apologies, Envy, but I was just wondering—"

"A human," Envy interrupted, "is a weak, mortal, pathetic, flesh-made monkey that walks on two legs and thinks it's smarter than any other animal just because it has opposable thumbs."

"_His answer brought me no comfort. Not even temporarily."_

Sorrow arched an eyebrow. "Umm, Envy . . ?"

Envy shrugged. "What? You wanted to know what a human being was? And I told you. Now I'm leaving." He then called over his shoulder as he trekked down the stairs. "And I'm not answering any more of your stupid questions!"

And Sorrow was left on the balcony, left puzzling and debating over Envy's self-proclaimed definition of humanity.

"_Humanity's true nature continued to elude me."_

* * *

Sorrow was left buried inside the rumble when she awoke from her flashback spell. Gasping, she suddenly realized she had died, again, and was now stuck underneath a ton of rock and cement with no way out and no air to spare.

Grunting, she tried to move her arms to free herself from the rumble, and at first nothing happened. Just when she began to feel the familiar ache of despair crawling from the depths of her hollow chest, she felt rocks being moved aside.

A voice came from above. It was masculine, clearing, and it seemed to be ordering troops around. Suddenly, Sorrow saw a flicker of light, and the sky was suddenly breaking through the darkness and gray surrounding her.

An unfamiliar face immediately blocked her view of the air, and she almost left out an air of complaint when the dark eyes flashed and purple ones replaced them.

"You just can't follow simple instructions, can you, little one?"

Sorrow never felt so much relief to see Envy irritated at her in her whole life.

"_Questions buzzed in my head that day. My core was honestly shaken."_

* * *

Sorrow laid back against a wall, her head down with her knees brought up to cradle herself in. She had failed in her mission to protect the Elrics. What's more, she had to receive help from the Fuhrer/Pride and Envy to get out of the situation without notice. She had not yet heard what her punishment from Envy would be, but from what the master had hinted toward, it would not be pleasant.

Lust's arms were crossed over her chest, regarding the slumped form of the homunculus. "Either way, it's strange that the Master would want another homunculus under her roof." She glanced over at the Fuhrer of Amestris. "Don't you think, Pride?"

Pride sneered. "It's not my place to comment on such things. But I do understand her reasoning behind it. We lost Greed a century ago. It certainly doesn't hurt to add new recruits to our cause."

"Even recruits that fail?" Lust asked. Pride shook his head. "As much as this was a great disappointment, it also gave us an opportunity to capture and dispose of Dr. Marcoh without suspicion."

"What about the Elrics? They saw Sorrow."

"She at least was careful enough to hide her nature from them. That much of the mission was a success."

"_Perhaps that's why I felt so alone, so cold inside. It was as if reality was snatched from me, and I could no longer exist without its foothold."_

Sorrow heard a noise next to her, and expecting it to be Envy ready to deliver her punishment, looked up to find, much to her surprise, Gluttony, sucking on his fat finger as always.

Gluttony cocked his head to one side, moaned, then asked, "Can I eat you?"

Sorrow looked down. For once, she didn't take offense to his question. Fighting back tears that threatened to overtake her, she mumbled, "Go ahead, I don't care. It's not like I do much good here?"

"Really?" This seemed to please the glutton, because he rushed to Lust, begging for her permission to eat Sorrow. Sorrow didn't hear Lust's response, nor did she care to.

She didn't have much worth, much reason to live, if she couldn't complete a simple mission. After all, what use was a failure like herself? Had she been better off being left to fend for herself in the tiny village from the townspeople, forever cursed to flee and hide in the shadows? Was she just jinxed to be a reject when among her own kind? She might have known much about sins and everything, but she did know Sorrow was not a sin, and thus, she felt the insignificance of such a name, such a joke played on her by someone she was just beginning to look up to as a role model, as a guide to light her path into the world of darkness.

Someone tsked above her. She didn't look up this time, nor did she make out the voice that said, "My, my, what have you gotten yourself into this time, Sorrow?"

When she did not response, Envy crouched down to her level and used his hand to lift her bangs from her face. Frowning, he suddenly grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "I said, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"Envy." Sorrow didn't know whether to feel happiness or gloom at his presence. But then again, the harbinger of death did offer some glimmer of hope in this darkness she was experiencing. Looking down again, she said softly, "Are you here to kill me? If so, do it now. I don't care how long or painful it will be, but I just want it to end."

"Now, see here," Envy snickered, grinning his wolfish grin, "whoever said I was here to kill you? Besides, if you're in such a rough spot, perhaps death wouldn't be such a proper punishment, now would it?"

Sorrow couldn't help but feel the stone drop in her stomach.

"_Perhaps that's why, that day, I began to look myself, and seek out my OWN answer."_

* * *

**CS: So, finished! This chapter is longer than before, and from now on, I'll try to increase the length slightly to you people can enjoy Sorrow's adventures.**

**Envy: Don't you mean misadventures?**

**Nel: Do to your onslaught of reviews (and our hoping for more), we're asking you, the reviewer, what you want to see in the next chapter.**

**Dorumon: We're thinking of doing a filler chapter next, to add more to Envy and Sorrow's relationship. We're ready to take any and all suggestions for the chapter, so make them nice and lengthy.**

**Firion: Of course, we'll be continuing to keep Envy in character, so please keep that in mind. However, any 'accidental' expression of feelings is welcomed as a suggestion.**

**Gaomon: We're still in the rules of the site, even though we're asking this. This won't happen often, because we might not take any of your suggestions. But we want to hear ideas from you guys to see where you stand on this. We'll even answer questions about their relationship in the next chapter, if that's what you want to hear.**

**CS: Also, feel free to ask questions. I'll answer, comment, and reply to all reviews from now on in my A/Ns, so ask away! And one final note, since this is getting a popular following, I just want to let you guys know that you can use my OC, or my ideas (like the incomplete painting) in your fanfics, so as long as you credit me. You don't even need to tell me you're using them, just post a disclaimer. Other than that, peace out and read and review, please!**


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